Italian prime minister to visit China

BEIJING, July 25 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will pay an official visit to China from July 27 to 31, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday.

President Xi Jinping will meet with Meloni, and Premier Li and top legislator Zhao Leji will hold talks and meet with her, respectively, to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common interest, Mao told a regular press briefing.

China and Italy, as comprehensive strategic partners, have maintained close high-level interactions and achieved substantive results in mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields, the spokesperson said.

Mao added that the sound and steady development of China-Italy relations serves the common interests of the two countries and peoples and helps promote exchanges and mutual learning between the two civilizations.

Noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership, Mao said China hopes that the visit will be an opportunity for both countries to consolidate traditional friendship, enhance understanding and trust, and deepen practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.

This will help facilitate the steady and lasting development of China-Italy and China-Europe relations, and make greater contributions to world peace, stability and prosperity, she said.